Crusoe College has been fortunate to have worked with Professor David Hopkins (Emeritus Professor, University of London). As part of this work, a Crusoe Model lesson was developed and has been implemented to ensure high quality instruction is occurring in every class.

1. Clear learning protocols

Students on time and on task

Being prepared

Grouping protocols

Opportunity for all to be involved in discussion

2. Clear goals at the start of the lesson

Defined time at the beginning of the lesson where there is a focus on the goals of the lesson

Understanding/Knowledge for the lesson

Tasks

Personalised to the student

Connect to assessment/understanding

Extension/Continuum

Verbally, on paper, projector, whiteboard

3. Differentiated Curriculum & Tasks

Flexible groupings - different in different lessons

Grouped by stage of development or understanding of the task

Mixed ability, use of data

Each group and task own purpose and learning goals

Teaching group - teacher working with a small group of students - monitoring progress through discussion and questioning

Peer tutoring

Clear instructions - written down

Use of thinking models and tools to elicit deeper levels of thinking

Literacy expectations around accessing text for understanding across school

Explicit literacy teaching

Establishing prior knowledge

Conceptual understandings

Paraphrasing

Summarising

4. Questioning

Open ended, asked by teacher

Wait time

Teacher responds to students with further questioning to probe for further knowledge

Encouraging questions from students

Valuing all contributions

Asking students what they think the answer may be

Phrasing questions for higher order thinking

Making questions inviting - What do you think some ways might be?

Focus on understanding rather than knowledge and facts

5. Student Voice

Provide choice in type of assessment to suit ability and interests

Listen to student ideas with respect for the contribution - student confidence in raising questions